Chapter 135: This is Simply Too Arrogant

Hu Ying had no doubts whatsoever and said with a desolate expression, "It has been nearly a hundred years since the founding of the Great Ming, yet this is the first time the Zijing Pass has been breached by foreign invaders. All the garrison generals died in battle, and all fifteen thousand soldiers perished. Could this be Heaven's will that our Great Ming is doomed?"

"All of them died in battle?"

Xue Rui's expression froze in shock. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the situation at Zijing Pass to be so tragic. And those three thousand newly recruited soldiers who went to reinforce the pass upon his advice had unfortunately also become ghosts under the swords of the Oirats!

"Perhaps... they didn't have to die at all."

Xue Rui felt a piercing grief in his heart.

Had he known that even with three thousand extra reinforcements, Zijing Pass still could not be held, he simply wouldn't have sent them to their deaths.

In other words, these three thousand people had died indirectly because of him!

Grieving for a moment, Hu Ying reined in his thoughts and looked up at Xue Rui.

Unexpectedly, Xue Rui looked absent-minded, and his eye rims were somewhat red, as if he had fallen deep into sorrow.

Thinking that Xue Rui was also grieving for these soldiers who had died for their country, Hu Ying couldn't help but comfort him:

"These soldiers can be considered to have died a worthy death. With formidable willpower, they held out for a whole day and inflicted massive losses on the Oirats. Now, Yeshi's forces are temporarily stationed at Zijing Pass, waiting for Aru Zhiyuan to send reinforcements. It looks like they need to rest for a few days, which has bought some time for the imperial court."

This was something Xue Rui had not anticipated. In the original history, Yeshi's forces easily captured Zijing Pass and then marched straight for the capital without delay. Now, however, a slight change had occurred.

Perhaps it was precisely because of the support of those three thousand soldiers that Yeshi's army suffered heavy casualties while attacking Zijing Pass, forcing them to halt and wait for reinforcements to converge.

Xue Rui thought to himself that if troops were drawn from the fifty thousand Oirat soldiers attacking Juyong Pass, the military strength there would naturally decrease, easing the pressure on the garrison at Juyong Pass quite a bit. That could be considered a good thing.

It seemed that the deaths of those three thousand soldiers were still of some value.

Thinking along these lines, Xue Rui finally felt a bit better. Just as he was about to ask Hu Ying for the details of the battle at Zijing Pass, he heard the carriage driver outside say, "My lord, we have arrived at the Dong'an Gate."

Hu Ying straightened his clothes, adjusted his official hat, and said to Xue Rui, "I am entering the palace now. You should head back. When you have free time in the future, come over to my residence for a visit."

"It would be my utmost honor, student."

Xue Rui jumped down from the carriage, helped Hu Ying step down, and watched as he and a group of officials entered the palace.

Riding the carriage back to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the astronomers inside were sharing information they had gathered, and Shi Xiang and the others were also huddled together in discussion.

Seeing Xue Rui walk in, Shi Xiang and the others, whose faces carried worried expressions, immediately crowded around him and said in deep voices, "You guessed right! Zijing Pass really wasn't held!"

"How on earth could I have guessed that Zijing Pass wouldn't hold? Stop spreading rumors about me!"

Xue Rui was furious. Shi Xiang and the others spent all day pondering his words and actions, secretly spreading them until everyone knew, which often led people to come seeking information from him as if he were some kind of prophet. It was endlessly annoying.

Shi Xiang and the others turned a blind eye to his displeasure and asked:

"Brother Xue, now that Yeshi has captured Zijing Pass, he can come directly to attack the capital. Do you think the imperial army can hold the capital?"

"Of course we can hold it!"

On a matter like this, Xue Rui answered without the slightest hesitation. If he showed even a sliver of hesitation, Shi Xiang and the others would probably start plotting how to surrender to the Oirats without being killed once the city fell, and if word of that got out, it might invite trouble.

Hearing the affirmative answer, the surrounding astronomers all breathed a sigh of relief. Shi Xiang, still a bit uneasy, confirmed once more: "Is this what the Director of the Bureau of Astronomy said, or what Lord Hu said?"

Xue Rui glanced at him and said, "My father and my master's teacher both said so. Are you relieved now?"

"Relieved, relieved!"

Joy instantly bloomed across Shi Xiang's face.

Having dispelled everyone's doubts, Xue Rui asked again for the details of the battle at Zijing Pass.

According to the astronomers, just yesterday, Yeshi ordered an attack on Zijing Pass. Unfortunately, Zijing Pass was easy to defend and hard to attack, and coupled with sufficient troops inside the city walls to rotate defense duties, the Oirat forces attacked several times and even dispatched a large portion of their elite, yet failed to scale the ramparts of Zijing Pass, suffering extremely heavy losses.

In the end, for some unknown reason, a squad of Oirat soldiers managed to bypass Zijing Pass and launched a surprise attack from the rear on the defending Great Ming soldiers. Attacked from both front and rear, the city walls were finally breached by the Oirats from the front.

Because the Oirat army suffered heavy casualties, Yeshi was deeply grieved and ordered the complete massacre of the defending troops inside the city.

Whether they were wounded soldiers who had lost their combat effectiveness, captives who had voluntarily surrendered, or remnants of the army still resisting, all were treated as targets for revenge and subjected to brutal attacks.

Not a single one of those fifteen thousand people was spared!

Fu Cong couldn't help cursing with hatred, "If the Oirats hadn't found that small trail, our soldiers definitely could have held Zijing Pass. Even if Yeshi broke his head banging against the walls outside, it would have been hard for him to breach it."

"I heard there was a traitor, which allowed the Oirats to bypass it via the small trail for a surprise attack. If I find out who it is, I'll definitely curse him to the eighteenth level of hell after he dies!" an astronomer said angrily.

"Alas, the Oirats aren't going to tell you who the turncoat is, so don't bother guessing blindly," Shi Xiang shook his head.

Amidst everyone's conversation, Xue Rui's expression slowly smoothed out from its solemnity, and finally, he gave his thigh a fierce slap and exclaimed excitedly, "I know who the traitor is!"

"Ah?"

Everyone was deeply startled. They had only heard rumors that a traitor might have led the way to help the Oirats bypass Zijing Pass, yet Xue Rui actually claimed to know who the traitor was. Wasn't that a bit too miraculous?

Fu Cong asked curiously, "Brother Xue, even the imperial court doesn't know who this traitor is. How on earth do you know?"

"Xi Ning, it must be Xi Ning!"

Previously, when Xue Rui was reading the historical details regarding the Defense of the Capital, he hadn't paid too much attention to the specifics of the battle at Zijing Pass, knowing only that the pass had ultimately fallen.

The discussion among the crowd just now made Xue Rui dimly recall the Ming traitor repeatedly mentioned in official histories—Xi Ning!

This Xi Ning was no good sort. He had previously served Zhu Qizhen in the palace. Later, when Zhu Qizhen was taken captive, Xi Ning submitted to Yeshi and was even sent to monitor Zhu Qizhen.

During this process, Xi Ning showed great loyalty to the Oirats, not only racking his brains to demand favors for the Oirats, but also deliberately making things difficult for Yuan Bin and others who were captured alongside and served Zhu Qizhen.

Whenever the Oirats made major strategic decisions, Xi Ning racked his brains to offer counsel to Yeshi. This time, the Oirat southward invasion under the pretext of returning the Great Ming emperor was entirely Xi Ning's doing.

The Oirat idea to bypass Zijing Pass and launch a surprise attack was most likely provided by someone familiar with Great Ming.

Therefore, this traitor could be none other than Xi Ning, who was utterly loyal to the Oirats!

That was why Xue Rui was so certain.

Not knowing who Xi Ning was, everyone stared at Xue Rui curiously, waiting for him to further reveal the person's identity.

To everyone's surprise, after figuring things out, Xue Rui suddenly jumped up, slipped out of the crowd, and bolted right out of the bureau.

The astronomers looked at each other in blank dismay.

Shi Xiang frowned and said, "How does he know the traitor's name? Could the Oirats have told him?"

"You mustn't talk nonsense like that!"

Fu Cong quickly cut him off. If word of this got out, wouldn't it make Xue Rui look like he was collaborating with the enemy?

An astronomer suddenly remembered something and reminded the others, "Have you all forgotten the celestial phenomenon of Venus entering the Pleiades?"

"What does that celestial phenomenon have to do with a traitor?"

Shi Xiang brushed it off dismissively. So much time had passed since then; trying to tie it to current events was stretching things far too much.

Fu Cong, however, had a thoughtful look on his face as he said, "Before the Oirat southward invasion, the celestial phenomena gave warnings. Could it be that Xue Rui calculated the traitor's name based on the celestial signs?"

"These celestial signs are truly profound, to actually have such wondrous uses!"

The repeated verification of the celestial signs made the astronomers look upon Xue Rui and his father with newfound respect.

Hearing now that it could even be used to calculate a traitor's name, they developed a deep interest in astromancy and divination.

Had they not already chosen their specialized subjects, many of them would probably have wanted to take Xue Yuanhao as their master.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Xue Rui ran all the way to the Ministry of War yamen, wanting to share this discovery with Yu Qian.

The matter of the traitor had to be brought to the imperial court's attention as soon as possible. Since that fellow had many wicked tricks up his sleeve, precautions had to be taken against him.

Unfortunately, Yu Qian and several officials from the Ministry of War had all gone to the palace for discussions, and there was no telling when they would return.

Calculating that the morning court session would not disperse for a while, Xue Rui found a military treatise in Yu Qian's office and started reading it in a corner.

As he read, a wave of sleepiness washed over him, and he actually drifted off to sleep.

...

At the same time, the news of the fall of Zijing Pass had already spread through the city, plunging the citizens of the capital into unprecedented panic.

However, with the capital currently under martial law and the nine gates sealed, no one was permitted to leave. Though panicked, the citizens had no choice but to stay in their homes and share the fate of the city.

Under these circumstances, the major restaurants and teahouses in the capital were operating with an unusual surge of business; patrons entered and left continuously, making the places look exceptionally bustling.

Yet today, most people coming to these spots weren't there for consumption, but to fish for information.

The Taibai Tower was no exception.

Less than half an hour ago, quite a few prominent merchants of the capital had gathered here, all inquiring about the movements of the Oirats and the strategic deployments of the imperial court.

Unfortunately, sources of information were limited right now, and everyone could only sit and wait for fresh news to arrive.

"Clap!"

Turning back into the private room and closing the door, Wang Guiqing sighed to the others inside, "It seems the situation is looking rather ominous this time. The Oirats have breached Zijing Pass and are drawing reinforcements from outside the pass. It's blatantly clear they intend to take the capital in one fell swoop. Our situation is perilous!"

Hesitantly, Liu Jin said, "It shouldn't come to that, surely? The imperial court still has an army of two hundred thousand, and solid city walls to defend. Even if the Oirats come to attack, relying on troops and fortifications, we can hold out until loyalist reinforcement armies arrive from all directions to lift the siege of the capital."

"That's easy to say, but who knows if accidents will happen? If we truly can't hold out, we grain merchants will surely be the first ones the Oirats carve up!"

Zhou Qi's expression was grave. The Oirats driving deep into the heart of the capital was precisely to plunder food and supplies; the grain in their hands would likely become their death warrants.

"Why think about all that? When people die, they die; at worst, we just offer our grain to the Oirats, cooperate proactively, and saving our lives shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Sun He was remarkably open-minded about it, looking completely unconcerned.

The others looked at him with undisguised contempt. This fellow truly had not a shred of integrity, actually thinking of proactively offering grain to the Oirats.

Still, this wasn't necessarily a bad fallback plan; if things reached a dead end, they might just have to act shamelessly for once.

Just as everyone was feeling worried, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Xu Weichang walked in from outside.

"Good news! Great news!"

Xu Weichang's face was glowing with health, and as soon as he entered, he said to everyone with a joyous expression.

Sun He and the others thought there was some new intelligence, so they asked, "Brother Xu, have you managed to dig up some good news?"

"The Oirats breaking into Zijing Pass—isn't that good news?"

Xu Weichang sat down in his exclusive seat and asked with considerable delight.

The group was instantly disappointed, and Wang Guiqing smiled bitterly:

"My dear elder brother, the Oirats have already fought their way to the capital; how is that good news? Just now, we were even wondering how to die painlessly."

Xu Weichang swept his gaze across everyone's faces and said with a hint of excitement:

"Whether the Oirats can break into the capital is something the imperial court should worry about more than you. What are we merchants worrying about? The most important thing right now is that our big opportunity has arrived!"

"What opportunity?"

Everyone was startled, failing to understand what Xu Weichang meant.

Leaning forward, Xu Weichang lowered his voice and said:

"Now that the capital is besieged and grain from the outside cannot be brought in, the commoners will definitely all want to hoard grain. As long as we employ a few tricks, won't the price of grain shoot right up?"

"What time is it, and you're still thinking about jacking up grain prices, brother?"

Wang Guiqing was torn between laughter and tears.

They were all worrying about the lives of themselves and their families at the moment, yet Xu Weichang was acting like nothing was the matter and completely unconcerned. Could it be that because he had never been able to have a son, he had simply given up on life?

Xu Weichang said with displeasure, "Fighting wars is the business of the imperial court; do you suppose we can stick our hands into it anyway? Rather than that, we might as well think about how to make a bit more silver. Whether the capital holds or not, we at least have to make it worth our while!"

"This... Brother Xu does make some sense."

The group fell silent.

The Great Ming divided its subjects into four classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants at the very bottom.

Though their status had risen quite a bit recently, they were in no position to meddle in major affairs of the imperial court. Besides worrying, it seemed there was truly nothing else they could do right now.

Seeing that they had been persuaded, Xu Weichang looked at Sun He and exhorted:

"Urge your cousin-in-law's side a bit more. Spend silver where it's needed to settle the Yonghe Grain Shop as quickly as possible. Then, taking advantage of the commoners' panic and their rush to hoard grain, we'll raise the grain price by a few more notches and make a handsome profit!"

Sun He nodded and said, "I've already given instructions on that. The latest we'll know the outcome is tomorrow."

Though they couldn't influence the imperial court's decisions, they were the ones who called the shots in the grain trade. Now that they had tasks to do, their tense hearts finally calmed down a little.

As the grain merchants successively took their leave, Xu Weichang pushed open the window and looked out at the brilliant expanse of architecture to the west, a trace of madness faintly leaking from his gaze.

In his sleep, Xue Rui dimly heard someone talking and quickly rallied his spirits to stand up.

Clack!

The moment he got up, the book on his knees tumbled to the floor with a soft thud.

A brief silence fell over the office. Xue Rui looked toward the direction of the voices and saw that around the sand table in the middle of Yu Qian's office stood a group of officials wearing various ranks of embroidered patches on their robes, looking at him with curiosity.

"???"

Xue Rui's face was full of question marks. You've been discussing matters for half a day and completely treated me like I didn't exist—isn't that a bit too overbearing?